wife

wife — noun

1. the female person that someone is married to; the woman in a marriage relationsh

1.nounA1
Definition

the female person that someone is married to; the woman in a marriage relationship with a man

Example

Baraka introduced his wife, Yael, to all his colleagues at the company party.

apposition: his wife, Yael

Lakshmi and her wife have been living in Taipei since 2015.

possessive: her wife

Common collocations
  • husband and wife
  • wife and mother
  • wife and children
  • ex-wife
  • wife-to-be
  • wife of [someone]
Synonyms
  • spouse

    gender-neutral; more formal and often used in legal or official contexts

  • partner

    can refer to a married or unmarried spouse; increasingly common for same-sex couples

  • better half

    informal, often humorous; refers to one's spouse (male or female)

Antonyms
  • husband

    the male partner in a marriage

Grammar Patterns

possessive determiner + wife

name + 's + wife

Usage Note

Wife is a gender-specific term. The gender-neutral term for a person in a marriage is spouse, which is preferred in legal or formal contexts. The plural of wife is wives (change -f to -ves).

Common Mistakes

I'd like you to meet my woman.
I'd like you to meet my wife.
'woman' does not mean 'wife', and using 'my woman' can sound disrespectful in modern English.
He has two wifes.
He has two wives.
The plural of 'wife' is 'wives', formed by changing -f to -ves.
Idioms

husband and wife

idiom

two people who are married to each other; a married couple viewed together as a unit

After the ceremony, the priest pronounced them husband and wife.

They have lived together as husband and wife for over forty years.

old wives' tale

idiom

a traditional belief, story, or piece of advice that many people consider true but is not supported by scientific evidence

The idea that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis is just an old wives' tale.

My grandmother believed that carrying a walnut prevents toothache, but it is only an old wives' tale.

(all) the world and his wife

idiom

a very large number of people; almost everyone (used to emphasise that a place is very crowded or an event is very popular)

It seemed like all the world and his wife were at the night market that evening.

an old wives’ tale

idiom

A story or belief that many people think is true but is actually false.

Maya laughed when her grandmother told her an old wives' tale about carrots.

Is it true that eating fish makes you smarter, or is that an old wives' tale?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Wife is the basic, neutral term for a married woman and is the most common word in everyday conversation. Spouse is gender-neutral and more formal; it is the standard choice on official documents, legal agreements, and in academic writing. Partner has broadened in use over the past few decades — it can refer to a wife, husband, or an unmarried live-in companion, and is often preferred in LGBTQ+ contexts. Better half is an informal, affectionate term used playfully for either spouse, but it would feel out of place in serious or professional writing. For example: 'Please bring your spouse to the company dinner' (formal invitation) vs. 'My better half is running late again' (casual chat with a friend).

wife ↗spouse ↗partner ↗better half

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from Old English wīf, which originally meant 'woman' or 'female person' in a general sense, without implying marriage. Over time it narrowed to mean specifically 'a married woman.' This development parallels similar shifts in other Germanic languages — compare German Weib (woman, now often informal or dated) and Dutch wijf (woman, now archaic or derogatory). The modern spelling settled during the Middle English period.